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Data Quality

Data quality, which includes quality control, performance monitoring, and calibration and validation, is routinely carried out to ensure that EarthCARE meets its mission and data quality requirements.

If you have any questions about the quality of EarthCARE data please contact the EarthCARE User Support Team by submitting your query or request to ESA’s User Services Portal.


Quality Control Reports

EarthCARE Quality Control (QC) Reports are produced on a daily, weekly and monthly basis, covering products produced from all three ESA instruments, ATLID, BBR and MSI.


Daily Quality Control Reports

The daily QC reports provide the quality status of the instruments and products from the previous day. Information in the daily QC reports includes a daily production visualization, data completeness, quality flag warnings and failures, and comparison with Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) forecasts.

Download EarthCARE daily reports


Monthly Quality Control Reports

The monthly QC reports offer a comprehensive overview of the reporting month quality. Information in the monthly QC reports includes instrument status, data coverage, degraded data summary, data quality disclaimers, mission configuration baseline and long-term performance analysis.

Download EarthCARE monthly reports


Quarterly Monitoring Reports

EarthCARE Monitoring Reports are produced on a quarterly basis, assessing the quality of EarthCARE ATLID and CPR data through comparison with the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) global NWP model. Three reports are produced each quarter:

  • ATLID Aerosols, which assesses ATLID level 2A particulate backscatter coefficient from aerosols
  • ATLID Cloud, which assesses ATLID level 1B molecular (Rayleigh) attenuated backscatter and total backscatter (Rayleigh plus both Mie channels)
  • CPR, which assesses CPR level 1B attenuated radar reflectivity

 

QuarterQuarterly Report
Q1 2025
(January - March)		ATLID Aerosol
ATLID Cloud
CPR
Q2 2025
(April - June)		ATLID Aerosol

ATLID Cloud
CPR

Q3 2025
(July - September)		ATLID Aerosol
ATLID Cloud
CPR
Q4 2025
(October - December)		ATLID Aerosol
ATLID Cloud
CPR
Q1 2026
(January - March)		ATLID Aerosol
ATLID Cloud
CPR
Q2 2026
(April - June)		ATLID Cloud
CPR

 

 


Product Availability

Information related to the availability of EarthCARE data, including periods of planned and unplanned data unavailability, is provided in an Excel spreadsheet report. This report will be updated every day with the latest gaps. The initial version of the report is v1.0, and it will continue to have this version number with each daily update. The file version number will only be updated following either a reprocessing of the whole dataset (e.g. v2.0) or a reanalysis of the gaps (e.g. v1.1).

Download the data unavailability report


BBR Operations

To extend the instrument lifetime, the Broadband Radiometer (BBR) alternates between Standby mode, during which no observations are taken, and Nominal mode, during which the instrument is active and scientifically valid observations are taken. Over a 20-day period, roughly 15 days (233 orbits) will be in Standby mode and roughly 5 days (78 orbits) will be in Nominal mode.

Further information on the new operating schedule is available in this EarthCARE BBR life‑extending operations news item.

The table and plot below provide the planned operations for BBR over the next three weeks. A full historical record is available in the downloadable data unavailability report above. 

BBR Timeline
BBR Timeline
RowTypeStatusStartEnd
BBRStateBBR Active2026-06-15T00:00:00Z2026-06-23T15:00:00Z
BBRStateBBR Standby2026-06-23T15:00:00Z2026-07-06T23:07:09Z
BBRStateBBR Active2026-07-06T23:07:09Z2026-07-11T23:46:43Z
BBRStateBBR Standby2026-07-11T23:46:43Z2026-07-17T22:52:28Z
BBRStateBBR Active2026-07-17T22:52:28Z2026-07-22T21:58:30Z
BBRStateBBR Standby2026-07-22T21:58:30Z2026-07-26T23:59:59Z
BBRStateBBR Active2026-08-11T22:52:46Z2026-08-16T23:59:59Z


Quality Control Disclaimers

This section describes the different Quality Control disclaimers that affect the publicly available EarthCARE data products. Each disclaimer has been given an ID number. The disclaimers are sorted by the date in which the issue first occurred, with all subsequent occurrences of this issue listed in the same section. This table will be updated with new disclaimers as they are identified.

 
ATLID Quality Control Disclaimers
Anomaly Start TimeFirst Affected FrameAnomaly Stop TimeLast Affected FrameData Types AffectedBaselineDisclaimer Description
L1 Data Release00894GEnd of Commissioning Phase03569AATL_NOM_1B, all L2 productsAllData from the EarthCARE commissioning phase (prior to 15 January 2025)
is provided for completeness only. During this period, both instrument calibration
and mission configuration underwent multiple changes,
and the data should therefore not be considered representative of stable operations.
L1 Data Release03569B25/03/2025 19:08:3004681AATL_NOM_1BADAfter Orbital Control Manoeuvres (OCMs) and Dark Current Calibrations (DCC), the ATL_NOM_1B backscatter exhibits anomalous signatures in all three channels.
This is because of the re-alignment of the LIDAR after orbital maneouvres.
The first frame after an OCM is considered degraded and should not be used for scientific exploitation.
Since 25/03/2025, the affected epochs are flagged and are not further processed to L1, and they appear as gaps in the data.
16/01/2025 11:05:0703617H20/01/2025 15:43:4203683BATL_NOM_1BADData processed with anomalous DCC that contained two outliers.
This introduced a bias in data, specially evident in C and H frames, due to the smaller geophysical signal (degradation was a constant bias not dependant on signal power).
The anomaly was corrected by disseminating the previously available Calibration and Characterisation Database (CCDB) calibration, containing nominal measurements.
Multiple, single frames05518GMultiple, single frames05907GATL_NOM_1BAEATL frames filled with NaNs, caused by an unphysical temperature value in the input, stemming from interpolation issues in XMET.
It has since been resolved.
13/06/2025 10:4405920E16/06/2025 12:4005968DATL_NOM_1BAEThe wrong DSNU map was being used as an incorrect CCDC was disseminated mistakenly to CPF.
Multiple, single frames06747GMultiple, single frames07136GATL_NOM_1BBANaNs present in the G frames of ATLID L1 data for the orbits 06747, 06778, 06872,
and 07136 originating from an SPR on the L1 ATLID processor which was then resolved following the X-MET update.
11/09/2025 15:03:0107323G11/09/2025 15:14:0707323GATL_NOM_1BBANaNs present in the G frames of ATLID L1 data for the orbits 06747, 06778, 06872, and 07136
originating from an SPR on the L1 ATLID processor which was then resolved following the X-MET update.
20/01/2026 21:37:4609366D20/01/2026 21:49:1409366DATL_NOM_1B, ATLID related L2 & SYN productsBCNo data in ATLID frame 09366D originating from a GPS outage.
30/01/2026 11:37:2409515E30/01/2026 11:49:0009515EA-PRO ProductsBCThe A-PRO processor failed (error code 148) for frame 09515E (30/01/2026),
and the data are non-nominal, showing an unphysical dip with returns ~1–1.5 km below the surface,
likely due to a spacecraft manoeuvre.
This frame should be considered invalid.
18/11/2025 12:24:5408380B26/01/2026 09:53:0009452BATL_NOM_1BBCFrom the introduction of BC baseline until frame 09452B,
the DCC calibrations were not properly taken into account. Therefore, during this period the offset has not been periodically updated,
and a larger number of hot pixels can be observed. See Hot Pixel analysis tables for a detailed tracking of the active HP.
Affected fames starting from 09338C to 09452B will be regenerated with the correct DCC calibration files.
15/05/2025Multiple framesOngoingMultiple framesA-LAY ProductsBCMultiple frames missing in A-ALD & A-CTH production due to an SPR on the A-LAY processor, currently tracked under Jira issue E2ECL2-32.
14/10/2025Multiple frames14/02/2026Multiple framesA-LAY ProductsBCMultiple frames missing in A-ALD & A-CTH production due to an SPR on the A-LAY processor, currently tracked under Jira issue E2ECL2-55.
Data ReleaseMultiple framesOngoingMultiple framesL2 ProductsBA, BCThe `degraded ProductQualityFlag` in the HDR is frequently set to 1 for L2 products,
as it is currently triggered by the processor exit code.
This behavior is under investigation, and the appropriate
logic to distinguish between degraded and nominal frames will be implemented.
05/03/2026 12:44:3310045C09/03/2026 15:38:1310109CATL_NOM_1BBCCCDC files were wrongly updated to January versions,
impacting hot pixel detection. The issue, originating from ATL product
reprocessing due to the BB-BC DCC anomaly, has been identified,
and the procedure has been updated.
02/04/2026 18:03:0310484D23/04/2026 07:26:3610804CATLID ProductsBCBecause a strong Rayleigh-channel hot pixel emerged at pixel 42,
the removal of the 20 km spike was compromised, and the effect propagated
into the crosstalk measurements.
15/04/2026 01:25:4410675H15/04/2026 01:37:1510675HA-LAY ProductsBCUnavailability in A-LAY production originating from
a processing error (error code 999), currently under investigation.
Reference Jira issue E2ECL2-99.
21/04/2026 02:25:0610769H19/05/2026 06:34:2011208CATLID ProductsBDDegradation in data quality has been identified affecting the ATLID channels.
This is related to a potential bug on the Laser energy normalization that comes
into play when the energy is below a configurable threshold of 30 mJ.
This introduced bands of low backscatter for certain epochs for the 3 bands
due to the incorrect normalization.
As a fix, the CCOG auxiliary was updated to lower the threshold.
23/04/2026Multiple framesOngoingMultiple framesATLID L1 ProductsBDFor BD baseline, anomalous negative crosspol values are observed in the stratospheric range.
This are due to an identified SPR in the L1C processor.
Anomaly is expected to be resolved in CA baseline, and all affected data will be reprocessed.
05/07/202611948C08/07/2026 15:50:5611992CATLID ProductsBEFollowing the unexpectedly short ATL Dark Current Calibration (DCC) acquisition on 05 July 2026, striping has been observed in the ATL_NOM_1B Mie and cross-polar channels. The root cause is currently under investigation by the software team. The affected L1 and L2 products will be reprocessed.

 

MSI Quality Control Disclaimers
Anomaly Start TimeFirst Affected FrameAnomaly Stop TimeLast Affected FrameData Types AffectedBaselineDisclaimer Description
L1 Data Release00756CEnd of Commissioning Phase03569AMSI_NOM_1B, MSI_RGR_1C, all L2 products
MSI_RGR_1C		AllData from the EarthCARE commissioning phase (prior to 15 January 2025)
is provided for completeness only. During this period,
both instrument calibration and mission configuration
underwent multiple changes, and the data should therefore
not be considered representative of stable operations.
27/01/2025 12:57:4803790Z28/01/2025 15:10:5603807CMSI_NOM_1B
MSI_RGR_1C		AFMSI products from the AF baseline are computed
using an incorrect CCDB file, due to an orchestration problem.
Consequently, the Solar Spectral Irradiances are not properly
computed and shouldn’t be trusted.
The orchestration was corrected and the
anomaly resolved from frame 03807C onwards.
Data ReleaseMultiple framesOngoingMultiple framesL2 ProductsBA, BC, BDThe `degradedProductQualityFlag` in the HDR is frequently set to 1 for L2 products,
as it is currently triggered by the processor exit code. This behavior is under investigation,
and the appropriate logic to distinguish between degraded and nominal frames will be implemented.
26/02/2026 03:10:0709930B26/02/2026 03:32:5809930CMSI_CM__2A, MSI_COP_2ABC, BDMSI_CM__2A & MSI_COP_2A frames 09930B and 09930C
were not generated due to a M-CLD processor failure (exit code 2)
linked to an incorrect AUX_MET_1D input parameter.
No sensing gaps were observed, and the issue
is planned to be fixed in the next release.

 

BBR Quality Control Disclaimers
Anomaly Start TimeFirst Affected FrameAnomaly Stop TimeLast Affected FrameData Types AffectedBaselineDisclaimer Description
L1 Data Release00447EEnd of Commissioning Phase03569BABBR_NOM_1B,  BBR_SNG_1B, all L2 products
MSI_RGR_1C		AllData from the EarthCARE commissioning phase (prior to 15 January 2025)
is provided for completeness only. During this period,
both instrument calibration and mission configuration underwent multiple changes,
and the data should therefore not be considered representative of stable operations.
L1 Data Release03569B31/03/2025 11:10:5304769ABBR_NOM_1BADFor the period highlighted, BBR_NOM_1B frames exhibited short gaps populated with NaN, distributed at random.
This was due to a too strict limit of the encoder.
Note that not all frames are affected.
There is no evidence of quality degradation outside the missing data.
From 04769B onwards, the encoder limit in the AUX_CCOG_B was updated, with no further ocurrences being detected.
Multiple, single frames03658DMultiple, single frames03658DBBR_NOM_1B
BBR_SNG_1B		ADUnphysical radiances values in the affected frame.
This is due to the use of malformed calibration sequences due to donwlink gaps.
A method to only consider well-formed calibrations is currently being implemented.
27/05/202505651C05/06/202505793CBBR_NOM_1B
BBR_SNG_1B		BADue to an incorrect CCDB introduced in the BA baseline deployment,
the across-track artifacts AFT correction was incorrectly applied
to FOR and NAD channels, resulting in overcorrection.
This was solved with the dissemination of a corrected CCDB file on 5 June.
The LT analysis confirmed that the accross-track signatures
are properly corrected from that date onwards.
24/06/202506098E24/06/202506099BBBR_NOM_1BBABBR_NOM_1B frames exhibited short gaps populated with NaN, distributed at random.
This is a recurrence of the previous issue related to the encoder limit.
The fix was implemented with no further occurences being detected.
12/07/2025 01:1306365F13/07/2025 22:2006394GBBR_NOM_1B
BBR_SNG_1B		BANaNs present in the F and G frames of BBR L1 data for orbits 06365 to 06394 in the Antarctic region originating from Solar calibration.
21/09/2025 15:16 01:1307479E21/09/2025 15:2807479EBBR_NOM_1B
BBR_SNG_1B		BAUnphysical radiance values have been observed in BBR_NOM_1B and BBR_SNG_1B.
This known issue originates from malformed calibrations caused by downlink gaps,
which propagate unphysical measurements into subsequent sequences.
Methods to filter these values during processing are currently under investigation.
Data ReleaseMultiple framesOngoingMultiple framesBM__RAD_2BBAPortions of several night frames in BM__RAD_2B contain fill values
instead of valid filtered radiances. This known issue arises from the
propagation of L1 data to L2 and is currently under investigation.
Moreover, the LW and SW quality status parameters contain fill values and should not be used.
10/04/2025 00:49:07Multiple framesOngoingMultiple framesBBR_NOM_1BBASeveral frames within the BA baseline reprocessed BBR NOM_1B
production contain degradations in start time and latitude/longitude data. It is advised to disregard the following frames,
04919C, 04886E, 04886G, 04886H, 04887A.
OngoingMultiple framesOngoingMultiple framesBBR_NOM_1B, BBR_SNG_1B, BM_RAD_2B,
BMA_FLX_2B		BCAfter switch-on, the BBR instrument gains do not immediately reach full stability,
as the instrument requires time to achieve thermal equilibrium.
The warm-up period is estimated to be approximately 5 hours.
During this time, gain variations may affect data quality.
Users are therefore advised to exercise caution when using
frames acquired within the first 5 hours of operation.
20/12/2025 08:29:3908875E20/12/2025 08:41:1608875EBBR_NOM_1BBCUnphysical thermal filtered radiances are observed in frame 08875E
(processed during temperature inversion calibration), with negative values present across all views.
Standard quality indicators (nonnominal_calibrated_row_count and invalid_flag)
do not flag these anomalies; interpret with caution.
OngoingMultiple framesOngoingMultiple framesL2 ProductsBA, BCThe `degradedProductQualityFlag` in the HDR is frequently set to 1 for L2 products,
as it is currently triggered by the processor exit code.
This behavior is under investigation, and the appropriate logic
to distinguish between degraded and nominal frames will be implemented.


ATLID Hot Pixel

The list below summarises the hot pixels identified in ATL_NOM_1B data since the data release. The list contains pixels exhibiting persistent hot pixel behaviour (>20 % of observations within a frame) . These pixels are subject to further investigation, and their evolution is continuously monitored. 

Download the ATLID Hot Pixel list.


GPS Outage

EarthCARE data may occasionally be affected by degraded Global Positioning System (GPS) Position, Velocity, and Time (PVT) measurements. Caution is advised when these data are used in applications requiring high precision geopositioning, such as Doppler velocity assessments. The complete list of frames affected by GPS flags since the data release is provided below. 

Download the GPS Flags list.


Reprocessing Quality Updates

EarthCARE data will be reprocessed periodically. The first full reprocessing of EarthCARE L1 and L2 1- and 2-sensor products occurred during the summer of 2025, reprocessing the data to Baseline BA. Relevant quality information related to reprocessed data will be provided here.


Overpass Information

An overpass is when the field of view of a satellite’s instrument passes over an area of interest (AOI). EarthCARE overpass information is provided by the ESA Validation Data Centre (EVDC) using their Orbit Prediction and Overpass Tool (OPOT).

EarthCARE overpasses of radioastronomy (RAS) sites are also available from the Payload Data Ground Segment (PDGS). View the list of time periods when the Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR) instrument on-board EarthCARE is visible from RAS. Download flyover reports from the overpasses.

 

Calibration/Validation

Calibration activities ensure that the EarthCARE instruments are performing well and to their established baselines. Validation activities ensure that the EarthCARE data and products are meaningful and well characterised with respect to uncertainties due to sensitivity or resolution.

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